Irene Campbell

I fully agree with my hon. Friend. It is time to catch up with countries with lower rates of bovine TB and to focus on similar biosecurity measures rather than cruel culls that kill hundreds of thousands of badgers as well as hundreds of thousands of cows. We know from the bovine TB rates in England that our current strategy is not working, and that targeting animals that make up the least number of transmissions cannot be the way forward. It is important for everyone that bovine tuberculosis is effectively tackled. Farmers and the Government are losing money, and cows and badgers are dying unnecessarily. New TB herd incidents have fallen by only 1% since the badger cull restarted in 2013, and innocent animals are continuing to die while nothing is improving. There should undoubtedly be more bovine testing, and we must consider options such as the development of the bovine vaccine and the increased roll-out of badger vaccination. In addition, there could be incentives for farmers to take part in such schemes, as well as to adopt enhanced biosecurity. The previous Government encouraged fearmongering around the role of badgers in spreading the disease, and I encourage this Government not to make the same mistake. Farmers must be supported throughout the strategy and the transition to new methods. If the next strategy is poorly implemented, we risk calls for badger culling to return. The Government said in response to the petition: “Existing cull processes will be honoured to ensure clarity for farmers involved in these culls whilst new measures can be rolled out. However, the government has decided that it will not be proceeding with the proposals drawn up under the previous government relating to targeted badger culling.” In the light of the evidence, I ask the Government to review and cancel all existing cull licences, such as those that Natural England set earlier this year. I look forward to hearing the Minister’s response as to how a Labour Government will tackle bovine TB and, as a Labour MP, I urge us to follow our manifesto commitment to end the badger cull.